Even, Lamut

For centuries, the Evens roamed the regions between the Lena River and the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk, living alongside and trading with the Evenks, the Yakuts and other peoples of the north. Speakers of a Tungusic language, they lived in small groups that followed the reindeer, the hunt and the rivers full of fish.

With the Russian expansion across Siberia, the Orthodox Church drew near to part of them, although the old practices remained. The greatest upheaval came in the Soviet period: life in fixed villages and schooling in Russian weakened nomadism and the passing on of the language, and poverty and prejudice accompanied these changes. In recent decades, however, initiatives have emerged to revive music, dance and the language, and to expand the people's self-government.

Reindeer herding is the heart of traditional life: the animals provide transportation, food and clothing, and they set the rhythm of the seasons and the migrations. Hunting and fishing complete their livelihood, and familiarity with the land makes every herder an expert in the weather, the tracks and the paths. Many families today combine this knowledge with wage work in villages, but herding remains a symbol of who they are.

Social life revolves around the family and small communities united by mutual help, where hospitality and respect for elders carry great weight. Music, singing and communal dance, now in a process of revival, express the memory of the people. Amid the poverty and cultural losses endured over the last century, many Evens preserve pride in their origin and the desire to pass it on to their children.

Most Evens follow ethnic religions of an animist character. In this view, the world is inhabited by spirits, and there are forces that are feared because they are considered harmful, which leads to practices of protection, of respect for places and animals, and of seeking balance with the unseen. These beliefs are part of the way the people relate to the land and to their ancestors.

A minority is tied to the Russian Orthodox Church, which drew near to them over the centuries, and there are also those who declare themselves to have no religion. In real life, ancient traditions and Christian elements live side by side, and many know little of the content of the gospel. Few have had the opportunity to hear about Jesus clearly, in their own language and in their own cultural context.

Even has a written form, and portions of the Bible have existed in the language since the nineteenth century. Even so, there is no complete New Testament or Bible, which leaves a large part of the Scriptures out of reach of those who think and pray in Even. Today there are some digital Bible resources and apps that can reach families scattered across regions very far from one another. The translation of the rest of the Scriptures remains an open need, so that the Word may be heard in full in the language of the heart.

The Evens live in immense territories with a sparse population, which makes meeting a follower of Jesus very rare. Traditional spirituality is interwoven with daily life and with the fear of spirits, and the formal tie to Orthodoxy, for many only nominal, leads some to think they already know Christianity. The lack of complete Scriptures in the language, the gradual loss of the language among young people and the legacy of decades of pressure on the culture make it even harder for the message to arrive in a clear and understandable way.

Many Even communities face poverty, isolation and the wearing down of a culture that has lost ground, with an impact on self-esteem, health and the future of young people. There is a need to value the language and tradition, for livelihood opportunities that respect the people’s way of life, and for care for the families who have left herding.

On the spiritual level, what is missing is access to the complete Scriptures in Even and the presence of communities of faith that live out the gospel in a way rooted in the local culture. The people need patient workers, willing to learn the language and walk alongside them.

The Evens are living a time of recovery today: there are efforts to revive the language, music and dance and to strengthen self-government. A people who return to valuing their own voice are more open to rediscovering their history and to receiving the good news in their own language. Bible portions already exist in the language, along with some digital resources, a starting point so that more families can hear the Word even in very remote places.